Joe (Ray Romano), Terry (Scott Bakula) and Owen (Andre Braugher) have been friends for a long time. Now pushing 50, they are at different crossroads in their lives:
Joe’s wife Sonia (Penelope Ann Miller) has left him and taken their two kids Lucy (Brittany Curran) and Albert (Braeden Lemasters). Joe stays in a hotel and is not exactly over his wife, so he likes to pretend that they might eventually get back together. His party-supplies shop is doing well, despite his fondness for betting on sports games.
Terry is an actor who hasn’t quite made it, so he is working at an office job. He is living the bachelor life – he keeps fit, dates 25-year-olds and can’t get around his head around Owen’s problems, who seems to detest his job as a car salesman.
Owen is working for his father (Richard Gant)’s car dealership company and he is miserable. Forget any nepotism. His father is being the hardest on him and the sales numbers come before family. Owen doesn’t like his working conditions but there’s not much he can do since he and his wife Melissa (Lisa Gay Hamilton) have three kids and just renovated the house.
These men meet quite often, chat about their lives, problems and relationships, while also trying to go hiking in the morning.
Men of a Certain Age was created by Ray Romano and Mike Royce. Romano is no stranger to our TV screens. His sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond – went on for 9 successful seasons (1996-2005). I had first found Everybody Loves Raymond a little too familiar and a little too ordinary at first. But as I watched more episodes, it grew on me. And there were some very hilarious episodes.
Men of a Certain Age takes a different turn. It is not a 20-minute sitcom but a 40-minute comedy/drama. There are some laughs, but the show is more concerned about putting a smile on your face with bittersweet moments rather than consequent hilarity.
It’s refreshing to see Romano in a more lifelike role. OK, so his Ray Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond was very real but it was all laughs and the characters in Men of a Certain Age have more problems than just crazy parents and in-laws.
I enjoyed watching the first couple of episodes, despite not exactly being in the target audience. And while not being a guy of a certain age is won’t necessarily stop you from enjoying the show, it might make you relate much less.
If you are not a big fan of Ray Romano, bittersweet comedy or too life-like situations, I’d suggest watching this show in the background. It is a little slow, but has some very decent moments. Frankly, I’d rather watch this show than Ed O’Neill’s hit comedy Modern Family.
Men of a Certain Age is currently rated 8.2 on IMDB. 6.5 from me.